


The Legend of Zelda: Hero's Ballad

by Passdamiicc



Series: The Legend of Zelda: Hero's Ballad [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Angst, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Anxiety Disorder, Awkward Romance, Bisexual Female Character, Bisexual Male Character, Eventual Romance, Everyone Has Issues, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gerudo Town, Humor, LGBTQ Character of Color, Magic, Male Character of Color, Mental Health Issues, Mild Gore, Nonbinary Character, Not Beta Read, Other, Panic, Panic Attacks, Platonic Relationships, Post-Breath of the Wild, Post-Calamity Ganon, Prince Sidon appears for a bit, Psychological Trauma, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda), Slow Build, Slow Burn, Social Anxiety, Teen Romance, Trans Link (Legend of Zelda), Trans Male Character, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:21:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25163080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Passdamiicc/pseuds/Passdamiicc
Summary: As the legend is told, a man, or boy, of humble beginnings is thrown into a war between the forces of good and evil. He must protect the land of Hyrule with his very life, no matter the consequences, he must protect Hylia's reincarnate from Demise's reincarnate, he must prove to be courageous in all ways.He must be strong, but this time, there's a twist.
Relationships: Fi & Link (Legend of Zelda), Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Link & Link (Legend of Zelda), Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Link/Malon (Legend of Zelda)
Series: The Legend of Zelda: Hero's Ballad [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1717219
Kudos: 14





	1. I am an Idiot and This is Proof

**Author's Note:**

> This is a remake of the other version. I kinda wanted to change a few things up.
> 
> Also, fair warning this is not Beta Read and all chapters have been written at some ungodly night hour.
> 
> So yeah

For as long as I've known Zelda (Almost eight years, I believe.) she's always been a responsible person. She was a princess and princesses had kingdoms to look after when their parents died. We've been friends since I was six and she was eight. It was strange how a princess and a commoner somehow became friends. Then again, I was being trained as a knight at the time and knights usually saw the Royal Family quite a bit. However, Zelda never seemed happy during those years.

Even now, as I stood behind Zelda in the Observation Room, I could tell that she wasn't happy. The blonde sighed as she leaned against the balcony's railings.

"I don't want to marry him, Link, " Zelda mumbled. "Ganondorf's a nice guy, but...he's not right for me. I'm sixteen, I can make my _own_ decisions. I don't need my dad to tell me who I can and can't marry!"

I walked up beside her and placed my hands on the railing. Talking wasn't my thing, but I sure do know how to listen. Well, that can be debated. Below us, knights, servants, and other people strolled around Hyrule Castle to do their jobs. The winding trail that lead to the sanctum was full of curious people who wished to see where Calamity Ganon had previously been defeated: The Sanctum.

It once was a place of worship, but it has since been tainted with the malice of Ganon. Ironically, Zelda was to be married to a man named after the mortal form of Ganon. Zelda had always been a girl who knew what she wanted, which was the opposite of me. I never knew what I wanted.

"Link, " Zelda suddenly spoke, "Father wishes for me to visit Ganondorf in Gerudo Town. Will you be comfortable going there?"

I shrugged. "I guess."

"I can ask someone else to go with me if you want me to, Link."

I shook my head. "No, no it's fine. I'll go with you."

Zelda nodded and turned back to the scene in front of us. The rolling green hills of Hyrule have always been a comfort. I leaned back and stretched to get my blood flowing better. It was rare to have quiet days like this in the castle. Most of my time was spent training and dueling other knights.

I let my eyes drift shut as I basked in the warm sun. The light that shined within Hyrule was important to the citizens of the kingdom. I hoped our light wouldn't be snuffed out again.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

 _Ugh_ , I thought, _this sirwal is itchy!_

Golden sand glittered beneath the sun as clear, blue water burbled above the people of the town. Vendors persuaded people to buy their craft, trying to make a living in a town full of people. Zelda and I had to change into more desert friendly clothing so as not to die of a heat stroke.

There were women everywhere. I couldn't move an inch without seeing a buff woman. This traditional Gerudo outfit was very uncomfortable and hardly did anything against the heat of the Gerudo desert. I huffed and pulled my green sleeves again. Zelda didn't seem bothered by her blue one at all.

"Procrastinating is only preventing the inevitable, " I muttered, kicking at the sandy walkway in front of the food vendor.

Zelda rolled her eyes as she looked at the steaming meat in front of her. "Shut up, I'm hungry. I'd much rather be in this sirwal than in that tight dress Mother gave me."

I shrugged and turned to look at the golden building in the northernmost part of the town. Two guards stood at the ready in front of its entrance alongside two tall palm trees and stairs lead up to the throne room. All in all, I wasn't excited to meet Ganondorf in his territory.

Zelda finally bought some grilled prime meat (I definitely didn't sneak a piece.) and left the vendor's tent. She slowly ate while the piece I'd stolen from her quickly disappeared in my mouth. Soon enough she finished and we turned to the proudly standing palace.

"Link, " Zelda said as we walked, "I wish I was like you."

My unsaid 'why' hang in the air between us.

"Being a knight would be so much better than being a princess with power. I don't want this cursed power that imitates the triforce, I want to be normal. I want to be a regular Hylian and escape being married off because two races can't get along for the life of them."

I pursed my lips and looked at Zelda. I couldn't think of any words that would comfort her. The two of us slipped by the guards at the entrance and into a large room. Sunlight shone brightly through the huge square holes behind the tall, golden throne illuminating a large figure.

In that throne sat a man of power. Long, red hair rippled down his muscled back like a fiery river, thick eyebrows sat above piercing green eyes, and a smile made itself known on his face. I blinked, trying to understand if this man was human or not.

I bowed to him. He could snap me like a twig if he so wished and that wasn't a nice thought. Zelda stood her ground as the ridiculously tall seventeen-year-old stood to greet her.

"Ah, Princess Zelda!" The Gerudo said. He bent down and kissed the back of her hand. "I've waited so long to see you once again. I see you've brought that child again."

Child? I'm a teenager, too! I resisted the urge to glare at him like a spoiled toddler. I was better than that.

Zelda scoffed and snatched her hand away from his. "Beau is nearly fourteen. She's only three years younger than you, Ganondorf."

"Beau? Beau who's Beau? I've heard you refer to the child as Link."

I froze in place, sweat gathered under my arms swiftly. How had he heard that? Zelda and I had been very careful about who knew. I stood up and my eyes met his. A strange emotion danced within them. I narrowed my eyes at him and then looked away. Something wasn't right about him.

Ganondorf chuckled and waved his hand in an attempt to play his accusation off as a joke. "I'm joking! I love a good joke, y'know. Humor is one of my best qualities."

"To me, your best quality is the fact that you live far away from me," snarked Zelda, her eyes green flames. "I won't let you treat my best friend like this."

Ganondorf hummed, his "smile" morphing into a smirk. "You and I both know I won't be far away for long. As for your friend," he turned to me, the strange emotion back in his eyes, "I'm sure she knows it was merely a joke. Beau and I will get along well, if she'll speak that is."

I clenched my jaw. Ganondorf was using the same trick my family used to use to get me to talk. I wasn't going to let him guilt trip me into speaking. My lips remained closed as he waited for me to say something. Ganondorf tilted his head before he shrugged and turned to walk towards a doorway to the right.

"If she won't speak, then I'm sure she'll fight, " Ganondorf quipped. He motioned for us to follow.

I steeled myself for what was to come and moved to do as he said. Zelda abruptly grabbed my shoulder.

"What?" I questioned upon seeing her wary face.

She made sure Ganondorf wasn't listening before she said, "He's up to something, Link. You need to be careful. He didn't act like this when we met him at the castle."

"I know, " I said, softly, "I'll be careful but I can't promise you I won't get hurt."

Zelda's expression seemed to droop before she sighed and pulled me into a hug. I didn't hug back for a second, shocked.

"I don't want to lose another friend."

I hugged her back. "You won't."

-

I licked my lips to wet them, my mouth partially dried from the heat. In my hands was a Gerudo Spear and across from was a Gerudo soldier (Anya) who held her own spear. Ganondorf, Zelda, and the other soldiers stood off to the side and away from the arena.

"The rules are simple, " said the Gerudo Captain, "No aiming for the eyes, no using any part of your body to aid in defeating each other, no cheating, and the first one to fall out of the arena is the loser of this round."

I widened my stance and gripped the spear tighter. Anya copied me, a teasing look in her green eyes.

"3...2...FIGHT!"

Anya moved first.

Quicker than lightning, she swung her spear toward my feet. I side hopped and slammed in my spear into her side.

She grunted as she was pushed back, quick to recover, and aimed to hit me in the head. I parried her blow and caused my arms to ache. I shoved her backward.

Something changed within her eyes.

They were yellow.

Anya pounced and slammed her spear on top of my head. My vision darkened and distorted. I grit my teeth as my head pounded heavy, my ears rang and I stumbled back

"Beau!"

I looked at Zelda. Her mouth moved, but I couldn't make out what she was saying. She pointed at something. I turned to look at it.

Anya?

I turned just in time to see her spear headed for my stomach.


	2. Ganondorf Ruins Everything

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ganondorf is an ass.
> 
> Also, this chapter is a fair bit longer than the other.

There are many words that could describe how I felt when I woke up. Angry, disappointed, and many other things I couldn't put into words. I couldn't believe I'd let myself get stabbed of all things. Anya had moved faster than what I thought humanly possible and the thought that I'd lost to her drove me insane with annoyance. I should've been able to fight her better than that.

When I woke, the sight of an argument between Ganondorf and Zelda caught my attention. I yawned, sat up, and then winced when the movement aggravated my wound. Patiently, I watched as the two royals fought like toddlers.

"How is it _my_ fault?!" Snapped Ganondorf. "I have nothing to do with the fact your bodyguard is incompetent!"

"She's not my bodyguard! He- She's still a knight! Do you have any idea what men with your name have been capable of doing over the millennia?! It's not out of the realm of possibility for you to be able to control a Gerudo Soldier!"

Ganondorf sneered at Zelda, "I know Hyrule's history and I'm nothing like them, nor do I want to be!"

"Says the man who acts like a spoiled brat!"

"Oho, _I'm_ the spoiled brat?"

It looked like they weren't about to stop. This was ridiculous, I know neither of them wanted to be married to the other, but I would die if they didn't stop. I raised my fist to my mouth and coughed loudly to draw their attention to me. They both stopped and turned to me with wide eyes.

"Beau, Dear Hylia, I thought you were dead!" Zelda exclaimed as she carefully hugged me.

Ganondorf grumbled and crossed his arms. Probably unhappy to see I survived what he thought was a funny joke. I ignored the Gerudo male in favor of hugging Zelda back. The blonde girl hadn't been thrilled that I hadn't taken the fight seriously. I barely paid attention to the rant and only nodded mutely when she finished.

"Well?" She turned to Ganondorf with an expectant look.

Ganondorf looked at her, confusion laced across his sharp features. "'Well' what?"

"Do you have a date for when you'll arrive at the castle?"

The tall teen shrugged. Zelda sighed and ran a hand through her hair. Ganondorf yawned and stated that he "had much more important business to attend to" before he left the room. Zelda slumped into the chair beside the bed I laid in, a frown across her face. I'd never been much good at comfort words, but it was clear Zelda was beyond tired.

I chewed my lips and debated on whether or not to bother the exhausted princess.

"It's clear you want to say something, Link," Zelda sighed, "you're worrying your lip, again."

"Sorry," I mumbled, "Will you be okay?"

Zelda didn't answer me. She only sat up and smoothed out her sirwal. The silence bothered me and I began to think I should've stayed quiet. I looked away from my friend to play with my fingers. Zelda being quiet was always a sign of something bad happening.

"No, I don't think I will, " she said, softly. "I had what I think was a premonition."

I leaned towards her to hear her better. She explained the dream had been about a repeat of the events of three hundred years ago, except much worse apparently. Darkness would shroud Hyrule once again in the form of Ganon alongside someone else much more powerful and deadly. A boy with blue eyes would apparently rise up to defeat these evils after recovering the Triforce and Master Sword.

"This Ganon is not Ganondorf himself, however," Zelda explained, "but more like a part of Ganondorf's soul that will somehow be ripped away from him."

"What about you?" I inquired. "Where do you fit in all of this?"

"I'm going, to be honest," Zelda stated, "I don't know. All I saw was a boy with blue eyes fighting Ganon and some dark silhouette watching in the background. We need to find the Chosen Knight of the Master Sword before this happens. Only they can save Hyrule."

I shuddered at the thought of darkness poisoning our land of light again. Only three hundred years had we defeated Ganon twice and yet he still threatened to destroy Hyrule.

"Is there any possible way to kill Ganon without killing Ganondorf?"

Zelda shook her head, "Ganon and Ganondorf are one and the same even if Ganondorf isn't inherently evil. We have no way to extract Ganon without killing his human counterpart. The only way to eradicate Ganon would be to eradicate them both."

That would only spark a war between the Gerudo and the Hylians. There would be a horrendous amount of bloodshed and the Gerudo and Hylians ave only just fixed their relationships with one another. Zelda and I shared a looked and speculated how we'd go about finding the Chosen Knight.

Things could only spiral down from here. We didn't even know how we would find the Chosen One.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

I yawned and stretched. Zelda and I had been visiting villages across Hyrule in order to find the Chosen One. Of course, everyone knew that one's powers were usually awoken when your soul sensed you were in danger. Zelda ended up thinking of "faking" danger to try and awaken the children's fate. These attempts usually ended with me saving Zelda and the child from a group of bokoblins.

"I don't think this is working, Zel, " I told Zelda as we crossed into Kakariko Village. The blonde princess had gotten tired of the endless cycle of me saving her and a kid.

"Ugh, this is stupid! Perhaps my dream wasn't a premonition, " she huffed. "I can't tell what's real or not with this cursed sealing power."

The two of pulled our horses into the stables outside of Kakariko Ancient Tech Lab. Our friend, Impa, worked there researching ancient Sheikah technology. They loved finding old, working Guardians, and researching how they worked, building things from the ancient materials, and just anything that had to do with the past. Impa's gotten everything so figured out, she supposedly built a Guardian from scratch.

Zelda slammed open the doors and shocked Impa into falling off of their chair. I walked in only to be greeted by piles of papers on the floor, books strewn about, and crumpled paper everywhere. I carefully stepped over what appeared to document in order to get better inside.

"Woah-oof!" Impa yelped as they hit the ground, their white hair escaping the messy bun they'd had it in. "What in the Great Sea?! Link and Zelda?!"

Zelda stormed over to a chair near the messy bookshelf situated in the back of the room and flopped down. I helped Impa off of the ground and opted to just stand beside the annoyed Zelda. Impa shook their head and crossed their arms.

"What's the problem, Zel?" Impa asked, as they straightened their messy desk up. "You don't look nearly as calm as you did last week."

"Link and I have been all over Hyrule in the past month looking for the Chosen Knight. We've already checked the knights in the castle."

Impa hummed and nodded. "Have you considered that fate will show you the chosen one when it's ready to? You can't force nature to do what you want all the time."

Zelda's eyebrows furrowed as she sat up to protest.

"Fate will not reveal to you what it doesn't yet want you to know. You of all people should know that, Zelda. It did take you several years to unlock the power of premonition, " Impa cut Zelda off.

Impa turned to me with a glint in their red eyes. "What if Link here was the Chosen Knight? He did choose to name himself after the Heroes of Legend. Perhaps fate has more in store for you, Link."

I raised an eyebrow at them. I chose the name Link because the Heroes of Legend had been a major part of my childhood. Fate would not have chosen me, some weak teen, to defeat an evil such as Ganon. I rolled my eyes and said, " You should've been a philosopher, Impa."

Impa shrugged innocently before they said they wanted to show us something.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Ganondorf had arrived at the castle two days after Impa. Impa had brought with them the project that Zelda and I had previously seen a day ago. Ganondorf had brought nothing but his strange sense of humor and a charm shaped like the Triforce but upside down? He even wore what looked like the male version of the traditional Gerudo outfit.

As much as I wanted to say something as he walked down the hall, I couldn't. Just because I was on the Royal Guard didn't mean I couldn't get punished for speaking to someone above me in terms of power. As he walked past, Ganondorf threw a smirk at me, that strange emotion back in his eyes.

I continued to stare forward, my grip on my longsword tighter. He was up to something. Zelda and her parents sat in their thrones at the end of the ornate carpet that showed Ganondorf his path. The king and queen were just as wary of Ganondorf as the Gerudo were. Everyone knew a male Gerudo was bound to be bad news.

The other guards and I listened silently as the Royals greeted each other stiffly, distrust heavy in the air. It felt strange being in a room full of adults, plus I was the shortest one in the room. After a few minutes of talking, Ganondorf and Zelda left the room. I hadn't heard where they were going, though. It grew silent in the throne room and the tense atmosphere hadn't dissolved.

"Beau Dierdre, please step forward," the King said.

All of the other guards' eyes snapped to me as I kneeled in from of the king and queen. The floor sure was a nice sight. I pondered what I'd done this week to think of anything that could've been inherently bad. All I remembered doing was having stolen the last slice of fruitcake during dinner. I'm not sure if stealing fruitcake is worth losing my job, though.

"Miss Dierdre, we came to this decision early this morning while you and Zelda were off outside of the walls," the King continued, "You've served our kingdom well and have proven to be the perfect candidate for our dear Zelda. Beau Dierdre, I hereby declare you to act as Zelda's personal guard. You will find her and Ganondorf with Impa at the Military Training Camp."

I nodded and tried not to show my excitement. This was news I could get behind! I rose to find them, but before I could a hand gripped my shoulder.

"Keep a close eye on that Ganondorf," the King's voice echoed in my ear, "the future of Hyrule appears to be painted black.

Boy did I have chaos heading my way.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Ganondorf threw me a dirty look as soon as I arrived at the camp. I'd changed out of my Royal Guard uniform and into a green Hylian tunic. It was much more comfortable and hid all of the things I didn't want to see. Impa eagerly waved me over to her strange Guardian-like contraption.

"Took you long enough, " Zelda quipped as she walked up beside me, "I was sure Impa was going to unveil the entire thing before you got here."

"Ow, are you calling your new guard slow?" I faked a pout.

"Hey, less chatting and more looking at my invention," Impa called, an annoyed look on their pale face.

"We finish this later," Zelda quickly said.

Three days ago, Impa had only been able to show us a portion of it. It was amazing how they'd managed to finish it so swiftly. The damned thing was way larger than I was. The three of us watched as Impa yanked the white sheet off of its form and revealed what was beneath it.

"Ta-dah! I've built a whole army of these things with the help of the other Sheikah in just a little user three years!"

Two large, blue eyes stared down at us from a hawk shaped head, it's beak glistened dangerously in the sun, it's wing spread out huge and wide above us, casting a shadow done upon us, and the beast stood on taloned claws.

"Okay, but why a hawk?"

"Beau, shut up," Zelda snapped. "It's amazing Impa!"

Impa grinned, clearly proud of themself. "I know! There are four types: A hawk, a lizard, a camel, and a fish. Each for different parts of Hyrule. They're-"

"Perfect," Ganondorf cut Impa off.

Impa faltered and turned to the Gerudo chief. "What?"

I stepped closer to Zelda as the atmosphere tensed. A grin stretched across his face.

"I said, **perfect**."

The hawk's eyes flashed red and it screeched. A ball of light formed at the tip of its beak, aimed right at Impa.

I moved to push them out of the way. I was too slow.

Light flashed in my eyes as it blasted right through their body, their eyes wide.

"Impa, no!" Zelda wailed and rushed to my side as I caught them.

A large hole rested in the middle of Impa's chest, everything once there was gone leaving behind a cauterized wound. I could see my legs through their chest. They were gone. Impa, the person who'd comforted me every time I felt like I wasn't enough was gone. They'd cared for me better than my parents had and Ganondorf had killed them.

Anger clouded my rational thoughts as I turned to Ganondorf. The charm on the bus necklace glowed an eerie red light. "You bastard, " I growled, "you _bastard!_ "

The next few minutes blurred together. All I remembered was throwing myself at Ganondorf, a scream, and then nothing.


	3. I'm Told a Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Link is visited by someone from a past long forgotten.

Ever since I was little, the legend of the Chosen Hero was a story I'd hear all the time. My mother told me that, thanks to the Chosen Heroes Hyrule is what is today. She told me never would I live in a post-apocalyptic world. She told me that I wouldn't ever have to worry about wondering if I would survive to my next birthday.

I believed her. Well, that was until I woke up to a dead silent Hyrule with Ganondorf and Impa's bodies close to me. That was until I woke up with my sight compromised and my face hurting like hell. All I knew was pain the moment I sat up. My eyes refused to focus correctly and blurred immensely.

A pained moaned was the only sound that would come from my desert-like throat. My mind struggled to make sense of the memories that rattled about in my head. An upside-down triangle flashed in my mind and then anger.

"Dammit!" I slammed my fists on the ground. "I almost had him! He fuckin killed them!"

Pain flared up in my side and I hissed. A problem arose when I lifted my tunic up to see the wound I'd gotten a month ago had started to weep. Sailors would've been embarrassed by how many horrible words flew out of my mouth. I didn't have a suture kit with me, not that I could stitch anyway. The basic medical knowledge I had wasn't going to save me if I couldn't sew to (literally) save my life.

Ganondorf had reopened the already healed wound. Hopefully, Epona was still around, I needed to get back to the castle. I whistled for my mare and prayed to the goddesses. While I waited, I looked around to see if there was any evidence of Ganondorf (now Ganon) having been here.

All I saw was Impa's limp body and another one not too far away. I kneeled by Impa only be alarmed by just how blurry my sight was. Their eyes were glassy and stared unseeing into the darkening sky. This prompted me to close their eyes. I sniffed and tried not to let tears escape my aching eyes. Everything I'd been working towards was because of a need to protect people I cared about.

I was nowhere perfect and I knew that. Many people doubted I would become a knight due to my inability to communicate with most people I met. Impa helped me prove everyone wrong by believing in me.

" _Neeeiiggh!_ " Epona faint call echoed off somewhere to the right.

A smile graced my face, I knew Epona would never be too far from me. My eyes shifted toward the other body close to me. My curiosity won out over my will to not look at someone else's body.

It was Ganondorf. I was tempted to kick his body, but I knew better than to do that. If what Zelda said was true, then Ganondorf was dead. His soul was literally ripped into two. Then again, if it was ripped in two, how did that happen?

_Link..._

"Zelda?" I asked, quietly. She was the one person I hadn't noticed missing.

_Finally, I've been trying for hours to reach you! First things first, are you okay?_

"Yeah, " I lied, disregarding my wound and the burning pain on the left side of my face. "Where are you? Where's Ganon?"

_I don't know, Link. I need you to promise me won't go to the castle just yet._

I frowned and asked, "And why not? I need to save you. I can't just let you die!"

_You won't be of any use without the Triforce or the Master Sword. My premonition was correct. Ganon was split from Ganondorf and now Ganon has control over Hyrule._

Epona nuzzled up against me as soon as she was close enough to me. I absentmindedly carded my hand through her silvery main.

_Ganon's searching for the Triforce, Link. He's trying to find a way into the Sacred Realm, you need to find the Triforce before he does._

'How' hang on the tip of my tongue as I processed her frantic words.

_I can give you no advice except to seek out the Temple where the Master Sword once slumbered. Someone awaits you there-_

Zelda suddenly went quiet. I gripped my leather straps tightly. How would all of this work? Would Zelda be okay for as long as this would take? What if Ganon destroys Hyrule before I can get the Triforce. I'm not even the blue-eyed boy Zelda saw in the dream and yet I'm the one who has to do this. This isn't the fate that was written out for me.

"Who awaits me?" I questioned, my head spinning. My body didn't feel like it belonged to me anymore as I sat down on the ground. Epona knickered worriedly beside me, but I couldn't comfort her.

_Ganon's here. I-I'm sorry. I have to go._

"No! Zelda!" I cried out.

She didn't answer. My thoughts weighed in on me as I began to shake uncontrollably. I hadn't had a panic attack in a while. My stomach clenched as I thought back to Impa's death, as I thought of Zelda dying. A dry sob caught in my throat as pain caught up to my numb body.

Hyrule was going to fall and it was going to be my fault. I was going to fail.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

The world was deathly still around me and us was concerning. When Zelda had told me to not go to the castle, I was distraught of course. I knew she was right to tell me not to go. Epona heavy breaths were the only thing keeping me grounded to the world around me. My head was, after all, still spinning from the panic attack I'd had a few hours ago.

The only temples in Hyrule that I knew of were the Forgotten Temple and the Temple of Time. Both of them have significant connections to Hyrule's History and every time I've gone to one of them, I feel as if I've stepped into a place I've already gone to. It unnerved me to no end to step foot into those temples.

I breathed in and shook my head to focus on the road.

"Help! Someone please!"

My head whipped around to find the source of the voice. I thanked the goddesses I still had my sword and shield on my person. I left Epona under a tree before I ran in the direction of the scream.

I'm able to make out a blurry red and white figure running from a blob that bore a faint resemblance to a red bokoblin. I huffed and threw myself in front of the red and white figure, parrying the bokoblin's club.

It screeched as I swiftly ended its life with a stab in the head. Black blood oozed off of my sword and I made a face before wiping it off in the grass. I turned to make sure who I'd saved was alright.

A girl with auburn hair and blue eyes smiled at me. "Thank you for saving me, Hero."

I flushed with embarrassment and decided it was best to not trust my words. She must have been confused when I bent down and grabbed a stick to write in the dirt.

I wrote, ' _No problem._ '

She leaned down to read the words before she chirped, "My name's Malon, what's yours?"

' _Link, and nice to meet you, Malon._ '

The two of us talked for a bit before I told her I had to leave. We found out we were the same age. Well, almost the same age. Malon has turned fourteen a month ago and I'd be fourteen in a few days. She pouted before she asked if I would come back again.

' _Yes, I'll be sure to visit._ '

I moved to leave, but pain flared up in my side again and I stumbled.

"Oh, Nayru! You're injured!" exclaimed Malon. "Please, follow me back to my ranch and I can help."

I hesitated before I nodded and called Epona. We'd get there faster on horseback. Malon squealed when she saw the mare galloping towards us.

"You're the one who bought Epona from my father?" She asked.

I nodded and hopped on to Epona. Malon grabbed my outstretched hand and I pulled her up. "Hyah!" I snapped the reigns and Epona thundered back up the road and toward Lon Lon Ranch.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

The Temple of Time stood tall and solemn in front of me as if it dared me to step foot on its sacred grounds. Holes riddled its roof and walls and allowed sunlight to drift into the large room. I felt as if I was encroaching upon someone's home. I thought back to Malon and how she'd stitched the wound in my side up. It had been painful but worth it.

Malon had told me to make sure to take it easy and said she'd check it whenever I came back. She'd also said something about me having pretty blue eyes and that part confused me. I'd wondered if she'd hit her head before shaking it and continuing my journey to the Temple of Time.

Now, as I stood in the middle of the Temple, I began to realize the full weight of what was to come.

"Ah, so you're finally here, "a soft, sorta deep voice startled me from my thoughts.

In front of me on the stairs leading up to the Goddess statue, a green and yellow blob sat. I moved closer to see who it was better. The bob morphed into a man with blond hair, a blue eye and a redeye, and a green cloak upon his broad shoulders sat. He gave me a tired smile when he saw me warily approaching.

"It's good that you're cautious, but I'm nobody you need to be afraid, " he said as she stood, "In fact, I'm sure you want to know why Zelda sent you to me."

I paused and tensed. This was person Zelda said awaited me?

"You'll need to know this in order to find the Triforce, Link."

"Who are you?" The question clawed its way out of my mouth.

"I am someone you already know, but that's not important. What's important is that I tell you what happened ten thousand three hundred years ago, " he said.

I nodded and stayed quiet as he spoke.

"As you know, the Triforce was last seen when Calamity Ganon was first defeated. Nobody of this world knows what happened, fo course. I and my friends do. After Ganon was defeated, it was determined that the Triforce should shatter and sealed away again to prevent Ganon from trying to steal it again. Each part was shattered into two pieces: Power was now Light and Fire, Wisdom was now Spirit and Water, and Courage was now Wind and Shadow."

Each part was sealed away in Temples similar to the ones of my time to be kept protected and away from the people of Hyrule. Over time, people began to pay less and less attention to the Triforce shards, and soon enough, it was forgotten. It wasn't needed when the Hero of three hundred years ago lived because Princess Zelda held her sealing power, " the man paused and muttered something under his breath.

"They only needed to seal only Ganon away though they killed him once again a few years ago. This time, Ganon is working alongside someone else much more powerful."

I wanted to ask who it was, but I figured that I wouldn't like the answer. This was already too much.

"Do you know why the Triforce is called the Triforce and not the Tetraforce?" He asked. "Of course you don't. You do recall how this realm was chaos before the Golden Goddesses turned it into what it is now, yes?"

I nodded.

"The cause of that chaos was the fourth goddess, Dysnomia. She was the Goddess of Chaos. Dysnomia was sealed away by her sisters in order to make the land we now stand on. I don't know how, but she's played a hand in the reason why Ganon is free now. Nobody knows where she's sealed exactly, but you must keep her vision of chaos from becoming reality," he said as he fully turned to me, "that is your fate as the next Chosen Hero."

I couldn't hold me my look of shock when he said the last words. That couldn't have been true, right? I was sure I'd somehow bump into the true Chosen One randomly and tell him his quest. Though, that had been wishful thinking.

A hand placed itself on my shoulder, Mystery Man had come up to as if trying to comfort me.

"I'm sorry that I cannot give much more information than that. This situation is a mess and I know firsthand how horrible this will be. Be careful and please tell Malon that I say hi."

I opened my mouth to ask how he knew Malon, but he was gone.

The Temple of Time felt much colder without his presence.


	4. I Learn Not to Trust Foxes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Link's life flashes before his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: There's minor gore
> 
> Are any of y'all bother by these long chapters??

I sat under a small rock outcropping a few yards away from the Shrine of Resurrection. Rain pounded the ground like a drum. It had started raining as soon as I'd left the Temple of Time, lost and confused. All my life, nobody had ever mentioned there being a fourth goddess. I'd been expecting a calm life with the occasional moment of darkness, not whatever this was.

My limbs felt like weights attached to me, my head spun dangerously, and a pain was setting in on my stomach again. How long had it been since I'd last slept or eaten? I could barely recall having a good day of sleep even before all of this happened. I hoped I wouldn't get sick riding in the rain.

-_-

Riverside Stable wasn't that far away from Lon Lon Ranch, so I planned to visit Malon before doing anything else. It had been a little over a day since I'd seen her. I hummed as I pulled Epona under an awning nearby the stable. The miniature roof would, hopefully, keep her dry. I cover my hair with my hands as run through the rain and escape into the stable.

There were only three people inside, not including the person at the counter. Too anxious to talk to anybody, I sat at a table and pull my sketchbook and a pencil out of my left side bag. A lot of planning needed to be done to gather all of the Triforce shards. Lines come to life under my absent-minded hands as I thought.

_Six temples, six shards, six different areas of Hyrule to head to. How am I going to find theses temples if I don't know where they first stood? I need an idea of where to look._

I huffed.

"Apparently, there are five temples spread across Hyrule full of treasure from a little over ten thousand years ago, " a voice said over by the beds. "There was supposed to be six, but the writer of the scroll said nobody knew where exactly the last one was."

My ears twitched when I heard them speak. Embarrassment spread through me at the notion that I'd be eavesdropping, but this was important to the fate of Hyrule.

"Really? I would've thought people would've jumped on this."

"Not that they can anyway. Everyone's escaped Hyrule because of some guy named Ganon."

"Enough about him. I want to get to these temples."

I shifted in my seat and made it look as if I totally weren't snooping. One of them had looked over here and my anxiety hadn't liked that.

"Okay, Uhm, there's one in Lost Forest, one in the Gerudo Desert, one somewhere near East Reservoir Lake, one near Kakariko and one near Goron City."

"That's only five?"

"As I said, nobody knows where the sixth one is."

"Hmm, how are we going to do this with those weird Guardian-like things around?"

I stopped listening and looked over the list I'd messily written in my sketchbook. The Hylian letters we're hardly intelligible since I'd written as quickly as my hands would allow, but it would be enough for now. There would be time to figure out where the sixth one was later.

If there was a later, that is. I shook my head to get rid of that thought. Negative thoughts weren't going to help me with this task. I shoved my things away and decided to go ahead and sleep. Then I remembered I didn't have any rupees on my person and sighed. There wouldn't be any sleeping in stables until I could gather enough things to sell to a merchant.

The rain had scarcely let up during the time I'd been in the stable. I needed a cloak and bad. Actually, now that I'd thought about it, I probably needed to get a bow too. I'd have to visit Malon later, there were too many things I needed to do. I was going to be heading towards Kakariko, but I don't think I want to head to the Shadow Temple just yet.

Something about the Shadow Temple, felt...off. I went ahead and pulled my sketchbook out again since I knew I would be in the stables for a while.

"Dear Hylia, did you draw that?"

A woman with brown hair, green eyes, and freckles stood beside me. Her face held a look of wonder on it. I averted my eyes and nodded, how had she snuck up on me like that?

"Could I pay you to draw me?" She asked eagerly.

I nodded. Of course, I did need money to buy a cloak after all. She sat down in the chair in front of me and posed. I squinted to clear my vision and get a better look at her features before my hand took over the rest. Swiftly, the picture came to life beneath my pencils, and soon I'm finished.

"Wow, it's so pretty! I love your art style!" She squealed when I handed the (signed) drawing to her. "Your name is Link?"

I nodded. She really liked it huh?

"That's a cute name! Here, take this as your payment! Thank you, Link!"

She laid a silver rupee and a purple rupee down in front of me. I looked at her bewildered. Why so much for _one_ drawing that probably could've been done better by a professional? The woman rose and left before I could protest properly, leaving me feeling guilty for having so much money.

I put the shining rupees in my wallet and put my sketchbook away. She'd spent too much money on me.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Epona thundered down the road, her heavy breaths loud in the abnormal silence. Hateno Village was nestled into mountains a bit away from Mount Lanayru. I'd only been there a couple of times with Princess Zelda to get away from the ruckus that was Castle Town. Every time we'd visited, the town was full of people and active despite being so quiet and serene. I'd planned to move to Hateno once my time as a Knight was up.

The once active road was bare, stray papers fluttered about, baskets of clothes lay on their sides with their contents scattered on the ground, and silence hang insistently in the air. I remembered those people from early saying something about everyone having escaped Hyrule. How could they escape Hyrule when we don't even know what's beyond the cliffs? Then there's the speed at which they left. I had so many unanswered questions.

With Epona in the stables beside the inn, I explored Hateno to try and find any living person that could possibly be hidden. The search turned up fruitless and I only manage to find a cloak within what used to be the clothing store. Its dark grey-blue fabric felt like heaven to my senses when I picked it up and inspected it. On the back of it, Hyrule's insignia stared up at me, bright and surprisingly not dirty.

I didn't know if taking it was considered stealing, but I put it around my shoulders. Across the road was the general store, so I took what I needed and made riceballs to keep me going for a few days. As the rice steamed in the pot I'd found, I couldn't help but think this was all my fault.

As I put away my things to leave, a scream suddenly pierced the air. I whipped around, my eyes scanned the area to try and place where the scream came from. My feet moved of their own accord as I stalked around the area. There hadn't been anybody around when I first checked, had I missed them?

A barely-there hand suddenly ghosted across the back of my neck. I froze and the hairs on the back of my neck stood.

" **Ah, so** ** _you're_** **the one Ganon sent me after?** " A dark voice purred in my ear.

I jumped away from that spot and drew my sword. Where I'd once stood a shadowy outline of a fox sat. Animals couldn't make facial expressions, I knew that, but the fox seemed to regard me with an amused look. It almost grinned as it tilted its head, its eyes locked on me.

"I was expecting someone taller and blond perhaps," the voice said again, "not you, a _gir_ l with a hideous scar upon her face."

I sneered and bit out a sentence, "Who are you?!" My grip tightened on the hilt in it. Where the hell was that person who touched me?

" **Right here, Child**."

Adrenaline coursed through as I back away from the fox, its mouth widened into a large grin as its eyes turned red.

" **Enjoy your curse, Child of the Light.** "

It lunged at me and tackled me to the ground. My sword flew out of my grasp and I quickly grappled its open jaws to keep off of my neck.

My strength quickly failed me.

" _ **Yes, let this be a warning of what is to come should you continue to oppose Ganon, Child. Cowards like you shouldn't play hero!**_ "

Its jaws snapped close on my neck and my scream became nothing gurgles. The fox disappeared and I turned over to throw up blood. I grasp my throat the pain unbearable. My tears mixed with the blood and the grass darkened, stained by me.

I didn't want to die like this. I have so many more years ahead of me. Movement abandoned me as the world darkened.

Why was I so weak?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

I stood on a triangle-shaped platform that was split into three sections, the middle having been raised. In the raised platform, a sword with a purple hilt rested, it's wing-shaped guard called to me. It looked familiar, as if I'd just greeted an old friend.

" _Master..._ "

I whirled around to look for the source of the voice. It was so soft and unlike anything I'd ever heard. Faint and yet so clear, the voice echoed in the darkness again.

" _Master, do you not hear me?_ "

A glow started up behind me, blue and inviting. The blue light emanated from the sword's hilt and pulsed like a beating heart. My footsteps thumped against my eardrums each time I took a step. Light flowed upward and formed the outline of a body, its arm replaced with what looked like wings.

Everything around suddenly started to fade.

" _Master!_ " The voice cried out desperately, fear emanating from its words.

"I can hear you! Don't leave!" I shouted back and grabbed for the hilt. A dark, reddish-purple engulfed the sword-like flames. The dark substance hissed and spit at me, a warning for me to stay back.

A name placed itself on my tongue just as the sword and pedestal dissipated from my sight.

" _Fi!_ "

-_-_-

I shot up, only to hit the floor as soon as I do. A groan left me as I struggled to untangle myself from the blankets that covered me. Light body burst through two windows to the left of me and straight into my eyes. I flinched away, the light seemed too painful to be considered normal.

A frown crossed my face as I tried to remember where I was and why there were bandages wrapped around my neck. The bedside table aided me in my quest to stand up. Truth be told, I don't remember ever being seriously injured. I was usually sent on lower grade missions due to my age. This was a slap to the face.

The sound of feet on stairs scared me and I threw myself back into bed. A man with blond hair, cerulean eyes, and a kind face stood walked over to me with a bowl of steaming something in his hands. He tilted his head and grinned at me.

"Ah, so you're alive after all?" He joked. "I was beginning to think you'd left this realm."

I said nothing and watched warily as the blond stranger as he got closer. He seemed friendly enough but I didn't know what his intentions were. The man asked me if I were alright and I answered yes. Once he made sure I was alright, he instructed me to sit up. I obliged, still unsure of him.

The blond handed me the bowl which turned out to be meat stew. My stomach wailed as soon as the bowl was in my hands.

"I suggest eating slow, your throat might not like it if you scarf it down, " he warned as he tidied up the loft.

I ate slowly, savoring the delicious food. Once I was done he took the bowl and said he'd wash it out quickly. I flopped backward on the bed again, the pain in neck flared up and I hissed.

The fox's red eyes flashed in my mind and I flinched. This was much more than I'd bargained for.


	5. I Prepare to Run an Errand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Link gets a nosebleed.

I tilted my neck back to allow Wild to peel the bandages from around it. He'd given me a fairy tonic to speed up the process of the healing and it had healed pretty quickly after that. The bloody bandages gave away under his insistence and he put them aside to throw away later. Scaring had been inevitable and I'd known that, but the bite mark was so stark against my skin.

I hurriedly put my cloak on, not fond of anybody seeing the scar. Wild (Who said his actual name would shock me if I knew so he didn't tell me) said I was free to go whenever I wanted. He even told me he'd give me a bow and some arrows when I was ready to leave. I'd declined but it was hard to change his mind once he'd made his decision.

"Here, this should be enough to last you a while." Wild handed me a quiver filled with arrows. "You've used a bow, right?"

I nodded and reluctantly put the quiver on. "Yeah, at the castle, they trained knights to use both a bow and a sword."

"Ah, so you were knight?" Wild inquired as he handed me a soldier's bow. "I used to work for the castle."

"How come I never saw you?"

He shrugged, a mischievous look in his cerulean eyes. I shook my head but gave him a small smile. Wild wished me luck on my journey as I pulled myself into Epona's saddle. I wanted to ask him why he chose to stay in Hateno when all the others were gone but decided against it. It would be rude to ask such a question.

With one last wave to Wild, I snapped Epona's reigns and gave her a soft kick to the sides. She neighed before breaking into a gallop.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

To be honest, I've never gotten to really enjoy Hyrule's beauty and have always taken it for granted. As I rode through Hyrule Field, I could see the castle in the distance, but something was off about it. The shape was completely different than what it should've been. I pulled Epona to a stop and walked up Whistling Hill.

Where the beautiful, white castle once was sat a larger one made out of some black material and around it was a giant purple bubble. What the hell had Ganon done to Hyrule Castle? I shook my head to clear it of the anger getting ready to cloud it, which was strange because I usually don't get angry so quickly.

Could it be because of what that fox did? No, it couldn't be. I ignored my dread and got back on Epona, this just made my mission to save the world even more pivotal. My head could've exploded with how many thoughts zipped through it. The rest of the ride to the road to Zora's Domain is quick. When I arrived the moon hang above like a guardian angel.

I left Epona beneath a tree with some apples (I prayed she wouldn't eat them all at the same time) and began the trek to Zora's Domain. There was no telling if there would be anybody still there when I arrived. I hardly encountered trouble on my way to the majestic place until I got about halfway to my destination.

The sound of croaking echoed off the stone in front of me. I paused and got up against the wall to listen closer. A scowl crossed my face and I readied my shield.

"Lizalfos," I mumbled. A glance around the corner proved my guess right. There was an entire camp of them set up on the sides of the road. The lizard monsters croaked obnoxiously to one another and jumped up and down to exaggerate whatever point they'd made.

I counted eight of them and each one of them probably had shock arrows. My shield and sword would only conduct electricity. I had nothing to shield myself with. I swallowed hard and readied myself to run through the camp. The monsters quieted as soon as I took a step around the corner.

Sixteen eyes locked on to my form. I barely blinked before one of them blew their horn and eight bows were pointed at me. My legs tensed as they drew back their strings.

I shot forward like an arrow. Crates proved no match for me as I vaulted over them. Arrows whizzed past me and sunk into the ground with dull 'pok's.

I'd been halfway through the camp when an arrow sunk in to my shoulder. The ground met my face hard and quick as I bit my lip and hissed.

I cursed and scrambled back up and gripped my bleeding shoulder. Why was pain attracted to me? I pushed on and decided to zigzag to keep any more arrows from finding a home in my body.

I got hit once more before I managed to escape their aim. My chest heaved with the effort to keep my breathing in check as I rushed down the path. I should've been more careful, I was a knight after all. Zora's Domain couldn't be too far away from me, right. The arrows that the Lizalfos had were shoddy, but they could still do enough damage to leave scars for sure.

Perhaps help was within Zora's Domain.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Clear ice covered every inch of Zora's Domain like a blanket. Mist rose like ghosts from the surface of the thick, solid iceand showed that the warmth of the air was affecting the ice if only a little. I almost slipped a few times as I crossed over the long bridge that connected Zora's Domain to the rest of the world.

"Golden Goddesses! An injured Hylian!" A blue and yellow, Zora exclaimed when they saw me.

They abruptly grabbed me and directed me to a hospital. They were much bigger than me so it wasn't as if I had a choice to refuse them. I winced when their clawed hand brushed against one of the arrow's shaft. There seemed to be nobody else around aside from us.

The hospital had that clean smell of different types of cleaner and an air of quiet. One a pink Zora sat behind a desk to the left of the door and looked up when they heard the door open. Their eyes widened and they jumped up to help me.

"Dear Hylia, what happened?" They asked the blue one as they instructed me to lay down.

"I don't know, she hasn't said anything. I believe it was those pesky Lizalfos. We need to get them out of there."

I stayed quiet and listened to them converse. This would not be fun.

-_-_-

Ana, the Pink Zora, watched amazed as my wounds healed. Wild had put some Fairy Tonics in Epona's saddlebags when I'd been unconscious. I'd had a feeling I'd need one so I'd stuffed one in my pocket. I had taken only a few sips to preserve it use, however. Zayn, the blue Zora, has left earlier to inform their Kingdom that I wished to help them.

"Why do you want to help us so bad?" Ana asked as she came up to me with a pencil and paper on a book. "You appear to be very young."

I grabbed the paper and wrote, "I can't just let you guys suffer. There was also something I needed from East Resvoir Lake."

Ana nodded and asked, "What's your name?"

"Link."

"So you're a boy? I'm sorry for misgendering you, Link!"

"It's fine. You didn't know," I wrote. Ana groaned as she sat down in a chair beside my bed. There was short silence before Ana asked me a question.

"What do you need from East Resvoir Lake?"

The door opened before I wrote anything and Zayn popped his head in. "King Sidon has agreed to speak with you...?"

"His name is Link," Ana quickly said,"I wish you luck and may the light shine upon your path."

I nodded and stood to follow Zayn. Ana waved goodbye and I returned it.

-_-_-_-

Upon a magnificent, blue throne sat a tall, red Zora with blue and yellow fins that adorned his arms and legs along with a sash and several medals. He appeared to be an older Zora and seemed weary with the weight of time. I kneeled before King Sidon and awaited what he say.

"Rise, Young One," he spoke, his voice strong despite a slight rasp, "There is no need to bow."

I did as he said and hoped I looked braver than I felt. King Sidon leaned forward and regarded me with a strange look before he smiled. He sat back once again and chuckled.

"Ah, so that superstition is true, you have been reborn again after three hundred years," the large, Zora said,"Welcome back, Link."

Pain shot through my head and I groaned. Voices suddenly started up and spoke about things I didn't understand.

"Do you not remember Mipha?"

"She used to tell me about a young Hylian boy she fancied..."

"I wish you luck, Link..."

"Oh dear, are you alright, Link? I wasn't aware telling you of your former life would cause you distress," Sidon apologized."I do not know how, but I sensed your presence as soon as you stepped into the domain. I wasn't sure if I was right, however."

"You...you knew me?" I heard myself ask, the memories I'd just seen flashed through my head again.

Sidon nodded solemnly. "I did. You look nothing like him, but I know you are his successor."

I swallowed thickly and nodded.

"Now, I'm already sure you know why we need your help. The entirety of my home has been frozen over by a beast known as Icebreaker. It some sort strange Guardian-like fish and it's been here for a few days now. The other Zora left once it arrived and I, alongside a few warriors who stayed, have been planning how to defeat it."

One of Impa's inventions, huh. What made it different from the others?

"It has taken up residence within the East Resvoir Lake," King Sidon said as he gestured to the east, "You will need Zora armor in order to fight him, I'm sure."

"How can I get some?" I asked, my voice hardly audible.

"I am unsure where Link put his armor, so you'll need to visit the armourer in order to have some made. May the light shine upon your path, Link."

I nodded a goodbye to him and left the throne room. The blue of Zora's Domain seemed much colder with all of the ice around. There were hardly any Zora around and I'd only seen five others that weren't Zayn and Ana. I wandered around for a few minutes before I came across the armourer.

Inside, a black Zora pounded away at what looked like a chest plate. There were several furnaces and a heap of what looked like scrap metal towards the back. I shifted in place and hesitated to say something to them. They looked very into his work.

"So the chosen one appears," they spoke suddenly. "I had a dream that I'd meet you on this. You're here for Zora Armor, correct?" Their green eyes met mine.

I nodded as heat flooded my face. They stood and stretched and gestured for me to follow them. They lead me to a separate table where a partially set of armor sat.

"You will need the entire set of armor in order to fight Icebreaker, but for now you can use the chest plate to swim up waterfalls. Head to Upland Zorana and bring me back sixteen Opals so I can finish the helm and greaves."

The Zora, whose name turned out to be Trello, adjusted the armor to fit me better before he sent me off. I found it strange how the waterfalls were the only things not frozen, but didn't question it. There wasn't any ice near the bottom of them where they flowed into the lake.

I jumped into the water only to immediately regret it once the water sapped the heat from my body. A shiver racked through as I struggled to figure out how to swim up waterfall.

Do I just throw myself into it? I thought as I floated. I did as my thoughts suggested and suddenly I swam upward as if I'd done it thousands of times. However, I realized I didn't have a paraglider too late.

"AHHHHH-"

I slammed into the ground hard with a loud 'thud'. My nose bled a little when I say up and I frowned, pinched it, and held my head back until it stopped. While I waited, I reflected on the memories from earlier.

Why had the previous Link in them looked so much like Wild?


	6. I Honestly Hate Ganon So Much

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Link finds the Water Temple.

The sun had started to set by the time I'd collected sixteen Opals. There had been a few Lizalfos up around Zorana but I actually fought them and proved I could handle myself in a fight. Trello had been very pleased upon my return and immediately got to work to finish the armor.

"It's gonna take a while to finish your armor, but I'll be as quick and efficient as possible. You may want to visit our Blacksmith, Reel, for more efficient weapons," Trello said as he picked up a hammer.

I frowned and glanced at my wallet. I already needed to pay for the armor, how would the weapons be payed for? Trello's hand on my shoulder pulled me from my plight.

"I know what you're thinking, but I'd do anything to keep this Domain safe. I'll allow you to take the armor for free and I'll pay for your weaponry. Might I have a name?"

"Link," I said.

"Sorry, you're so quiet I couldn't hear you, could you repeat?" Trello looked sheepish, but he shouldn't since I was the one who could barely speak up.

"My name is Link," I said a little louder.

Trello hummed and nodded. "I had a feeling your name would be Link. Reel is to the right of Seabed Inn, he works inside the General store. It shouldn't be hard to find him." Trello grabbed a piece of paper and wrote something down on it before he handed it to me. "Give this to him so that he knows I'm paying."

I nodded and placed the paper in my side bag. When I left Trello's shop, I felt like a little of my worries had disappeared even if this was minor compared to the problem at the center of Hyrule. I hummed as I navigated the stairs of Zora's Domain. Zelda had brought me here twice before. She'd told me that she'd absolutely adored the Zora and the way they lived. I'd never actually seen King Sidon, I usually left the political stuff to the princess.

Marot Mart was bare of any travelers aside from me when I entered. The Zora tending the mart nodded a greeting to me when I entered. I returned it and walked toward the back where a blue Zora sat. A deep breath calmed my nerves and I coughed to get his attention. Reel jolted and whirled around to face me with wide, green eyes.

"Oh, pardon me, Young Lass," he apologized as he fixed his tools. "I didn't hear you step in, is there anything you needed?"

I silently handed him the note to read. The paper crinkled loudly as he unfolded it to see whatever Trello had written. I'd been curious but I hadn't opened it since Trello had it. A string of fabric stuck out from my tunic so I played with it until Reel finished.

"So you're the chosen one my brother's been droning on and on about, eh? Well, luckily for you, I've already finished some weaponry."

Reel walked over to the left side of his table and picked up a Zora longsword, a bow, and a shield. I thanked him when he handed them to me and put them away. He looked me over before he offered to give me a sword maintenance kit. I nodded and he quickly shuffled through his things.

"Is the hilt on your other sword brass or steel?" He asked.

"Brass."

When I left Reel, I felt a few pounds heavier. Trello greeted me when I stepped into his shop.

"Ah! You're just in time, I've finished the greaves and the helm!"

I tried the armor on by Trello's insistence and found out it fit perfectly well. Trello seemed lost in thought when I came out of the changing room his head was turned to look out of the window above his desk. I patiently waited for him to turn to me as I didn't want to interrupt his moment.

When he did turn to me, his eyes seemed a little red and glassy.

"Link, how...how old are you?" He inquired as he messed with tools near one of the furnaces.

"Thirteen, but I'll be fourteen in a two more days."

He sniffed as a small smile made its way to his face. "You remind me of my son, Arnav. He was so stoic for such a young boy."

My eyes widened at the implication behind those words.

"When Ganon took over, he attacked every major settlement in Hyrule to make sure of their undying submission to his cause. My son and I had been fishing when the ice started to form, he'd been a bit away from me and I'd swam as fast as I could to reach him..." Trello sucked in a ragged breath and continued. "The ice trapped him underwater. We may be able to breath in water but that doesn't mean we should stay under for extended periods of time. The ice didn't just freeze the surface, it froze the entirety of the water. I got out as fast as I could.

It was too late for Arnav. My son was gone and I hadn't been fast enough to pull him out."

My heart beat harshly in my throat As I watched him breakdown in front of me. This was reality and I was the one who needed to save this world. Ganon had taken too many lives when I'd been unconscious.

"Both he my wife were killed, so, please, Link, be careful."

"I will."

-_-_-_-

I made sure to buy a paraglider from the General Store before I left for East Reservoir Lake. The story Trello had told me had made me feel off. I needed to end this quickly, nothing like that should have happened. The lake sat, dark blue and calm above Zora's Domain, too calm that is.

I stood on the dock for a bit before I got in the water. It was only then that I realized the water had began to ripple. I yelped when a platform rose up beneath me and sent me skyward.

Water splashed into the air as a dark shadow jumped out of the center of the lake.

Icebreaker.

Something slammed into me and I fell backwards off of the platform. I whipped out my paraglider and realized that the platforms were waterfalls I could swim up.

That thing was huge and it could throw ice at me?! I swam back up the waterfall but it sank back into the water.

The lake suddenly began to swirl inwards and panic flashed through me as I struggled to keep from being sucked into the center of the it. It proved futile and I sucked in air before I was yanked downward.

Water dulled everything around me. Beneath me I could see the fish's giant mouth sucking the air in. Something flashed in its mouth. A weakness!

I was thrown back into the air as the giant spat the water back out.

Time seemed to slow around me as I pulled the Zora bow off of me and aimed an shock arrow into its mouth.

A piercing, injured screech echoed in the air as the fish recoiled and dived back into the water. I put my bow away just as I splashed into the water.

The waterfalls rose again and I hastily swam up the closest one. Icebreaker jumped back out of the water with its mouth aimed at me. My shield was readied in front of me.

It spat out an large ice block at me. I batted it away with my shield and it slammed into Icebreaker. The fish hit the surface with a loud 'smack' before it dove under again.

I pulled the mouth piece of the Zora Helm up over my nose as the waterfalls fell again. This time I swam directly into the middle of the lake.

When I was airborne again, I nocked two arrows and shot them at the glistening thing in Icebreaker's mouth.

Its horrible screech sounded angrier this time. I fell back into the water and waited for the waterfalls to come back up. Instead, smaller whirlpools popped around me.

I figured they'd act the same as the larger one so I swam into one and it shot me the air. Once again I drew back the bow string and shocked the guardian-beast.

A smirk placed itself on my face when I realized it was beginning to slow down. Just a few more hits and it would be over with.

I'd just splashed back into the water when I noticed the ice block headed for me. I dove under water and tried to figure out when it had shot it at me. The water vibrated around me and I turned around to spot ice headed straight for me.

I dodged all of the ice blocks and headed for one of the whirlpools that had formed. The fish followed swiftly and joined me in the air. I scowled and nocked two shock arrows as it locked its bulbous eyes on me.

I let the arrows fly and watched as they arrow fish tailed in the air.

Icebreaker wailed and screeched its dying cries. The water violently moved up and down as the guardian-fish twitched and jerked around. Waves crashed down on me and threw me around until Icebreaker sank beneath the waves. For a few minutes, I floated in the lake just glad to be alive. My chest ached terribly, but I wasn't injured too bad.

I turned to the dock that lead to Zora's Domain and climbed onto it. Had the ice melted from the lake? My head spun when I looked down, but I ignored it and watched, amazed, as the ice disappeared. The few Zora down there seemed happy enough. I smiled and turned back to the lake. The temple was supposedly at the bottom of the lake.

I frowned as I counted the shock arrows Reel had given me. I'd been surprised when he'd did so since Zora's were particularly weak to these elemental arrows. He'd worn gloves though so I guess it was okay. Reel had given me twenty, I'd used seven, and now there were thirteen. It would, hopefully be enough for the enemies inside the temple.

I dove back into the water and swam toward the bottom. There'd been no sign of a temple when I'd been fighting Icebreaker. Where was its body, though? I shook my head and continued downward. The farther down I went the more I felt like I was entering another dimension. A bright blue color started to take over the dark blue of the lake.

And then I realized I was falling. My scream was silenced by the air that whipped past me. This was gonna hurt like heck. I braced myself for impact. Instead of being turned into a Link-pancake, I found myself being gently floated down to the ground. My felt gently touched the ground and I opened my eyes to see what was in front of me.

White, moss covered stone was set in a path that lead up to what appeared to be ruins. I cautiously strode forward. I'd been told there would be a temple not an entire village. Multiple buildings surrounded a partially destroyed fountain, broken wood and stone littered the ground, and it looked as if nobody had been here for thousands of years. I picked up a stray paper that had what appeared to be a different from of Common on it.

Common is the language that's used as bridge between races. Each race has their language, yes, but Common was invented to better acquaint the races and help with political matters. I'd always wanted to learn the other languages used in, but I'd never had the time. The paper appeared to be a poster of some sort so I decided to translate it.

"The hero, Link, and Princess Zelda...teamed...Sheikah...new technology?" I managed to get out of the faint and strange words.

I pocketed the paper and continued on through the eerily quiet ruins. My footsteps sounded almost like thunder despite the fact I didn't have heels on. I pulled the Zora Helm mouth piece down since there was no need for it anymore. The air seemed to hold its breath the farther I went.

A split appeared in the stone road along with two signs. The one that pointed forward said, "Water Temple this way." I followed it.

Grand, stone pillars appeared on the side of the road, some were toppled over on their sides full of cracks while others stood haphazardly up. More blocks of stone appeared as well, moss creeping up their sides. I stopped just outside of the entrance.

The white walls towered over covered in moss, some of the walls had holes that littered them, there appeared have once been two statues of some sort, but only their pedestals remained, a silent homage to the weight of time.

I looked up at the doors that blocked the temple off from the world. It was time to face what awaited me.

I pushed the heavy doors open and walked into the Water Temple.


End file.
